Touch screen display surface sanitization using antimicrobial light

ABSTRACT

A lighting array including one or more antimicrobial light segments, each light segments including one or more antimicrobial light sources, is configured to emit light sufficient to inactivate one or more microorganisms on a touch screen display surface. The lighting array may individually control activation of the one or more antimicrobial light segments based on user presence information, time of day information, and/or touch screen display usage information. A touch screen display assembly includes a housing, a touch screen display and a lighting array including one or more antimicrobial light segments.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/870,267, titled, “TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY SURFACE SANITIZATION USINGANTIMICROBIAL LIGHT,” filed Jul. 3, 2019, the entire content of which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to systems and methods of reducing microbialgrowth on environmental surfaces.

BACKGROUND

Contamination of environmental surfaces poses a risk for transmission ofpathogens and other microorganisms. Bacteria and other harmfulmicroorganisms can survive for extended periods of time on environmentalsurfaces. Contamination of commonly touched surfaces, such as those thatare touched by multiple customers, students, and/or employees in aretail, healthcare, school or restaurant environment, can thereforecontribute to transmission of microorganisms from one person to another.The microorganisms can include pathogenic microorganisms, such asgram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses, andparasites. Various illness-causing pathogens include Listeriamonocytogenes, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Salmonella,Staphylococcus aureus, and the like. At certain levels, the presence ofmicroorganisms on frequently touched surfaces may cause everything froma consumer's perception of a lower quality product, regulatoryinvestigations and sanctions, individual cases of pathogen-basedillness, and may even lead to pathogen-based illness outbreaks.

SUMMARY

In general, the disclosure is directed to systems and/or methods ofreducing microbial growth on environmental surfaces. In some examples,the environmental surfaces may include a touch screen display orcomputing device including a touch screen display, such as apoint-of-sale (POS), kiosk, multi-user or interactive video wall, mobiledevice, smart phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, desktop monitor,and/or any other touch-based or interactive display. The touch screendisplays may vary in size from the very small (e.g., the size of amobile phone display or even smaller) to the very large (e.g., a largemulti-user, interactive video wall). The systems and/or methods of thepresent disclosure may help reduce the frequency at which such touchscreen displays need to be cleaned to keep the microbial growth belowacceptable levels.

In one example, the disclosure is directed to a lighting arraycomprising a fixture, and one or more antimicrobial lighting segmentsmounted on the lighting fixture, each antimicrobial lighting segmentincluding one or more elements, wherein each element emits light at awavelength, irradiance, and direction sufficient to inactivate one ormore microorganisms on a target area of a touch screen display surface.

The lighting array may control each antimicrobial light segment iscontrolled based on touch screen display surface usage information. Thelighting array may deactivate at least some of the antimicrobiallighting segments when the touch screen display surface usageinformation is indicative of presence of a user. Each of the one or moreantimicrobial lighting segments may be individually controllable by thelighting array such that each lighting segment may be activated at afirst, high setting, a second, modified setting, or a third, deactivatedsetting independently of the other one or more antimicrobial lightingsegments.

The system may further comprise a presence sensor that detects presenceof a user near the touch screen display surface. The lighting array mayfurther control the one or more antimicrobial lighting segments based onthe time of day. The touch screen display surface may include aplurality of target zones, and wherein the one or more antimicrobiallighting segments are individually controllable to direct light at thewavelength and irradiance sufficient to inactivate one or moremicroorganisms within one or more of the target zones.

Each antimicrobial lighting segment may include a substrate and aplurality of light-emitting diode (LED) elements, and wherein each LEDelement emits light including wavelengths in a range of about 405±15nanometers. The lighting array may further include one or more lightingelements that emit light having a wavelength range in the visiblespectrum. The one or more microorganisms may include at least one ofListeria monocytogenes, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Salmonella,and Staphylococcus aureus.

Each antimicrobial lighting segment may include a substrate and aplurality of light-emitting diode (LED) elements, wherein one or more ofthe LED elements emit light within a first antimicrobial wavelengthrange of about 380-420 nanometers, and one or more of the LED elementsemit light within a second antimicrobial wavelength range of about200-280 nanometers. Each antimicrobial lighting segment may include asubstrate and a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) elements,wherein one or more of the LED elements emit light within a firstantimicrobial wavelength range of about 380-420 nanometers and one ormore of the LED elements emit light within a second antimicrobialwavelength range, wherein the second antimicrobial wavelength rangeincludes at least one of ultraviolet A (UVA) light within a wavelengthrange of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB) light within a wavelength rangeof 280-315 nm or ultraviolet C (UVC) light within a wavelength range of200-280 nm.

In another example, the disclosure is directed to an antimicrobiallighting assembly comprising a frame assembly configured for mountingaround at least a portion of the perimeter of a touch screen displaysurface; and one or more antimicrobial lighting segments mounted on theframe assembly, each antimicrobial lighting segment including one ormore antimicrobial lighting elements, wherein each antimicrobiallighting element emits light at a wavelength, irradiance, and directionsufficient to inactivate one or more microorganisms on a target area ofthe touch screen display surface.

The frame assembly may be mounted around the entire perimeter of thetouch screen display surface. The antimicrobial lighting assembly mayfurther include a sensor that detects presence of a user near the touchscreen display, and wherein power to the antimicrobial lighting segmentsis deactivated upon detection of presence of the user. Subsequent todetection of presence of a user near the touch screen display, thesensor may detect that the user is no longer present near the touchscreen display, and power to the antimicrobial lighting segments may bedeactivated.

The frame assembly may be configured to mount on a bezel of the touchscreen display. The frame assembly may be configured for retrofittablemounting around the perimeter of a touch screen display surface.

Each antimicrobial lighting segment may include a substrate and aplurality of light-emitting diode (LED) elements, wherein one or more ofthe LED elements emit light within a first antimicrobial wavelengthrange of about 380-420 nanometers, and one or more of the LED elementsemit light within a second antimicrobial wavelength range of about200-280 nanometers. Each antimicrobial lighting segment may include asubstrate and a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) elements,wherein one or more of the LED elements emit light within a firstantimicrobial wavelength range of about 380-420 nanometers and one ormore of the LED elements emit light within a second antimicrobialwavelength range, wherein the second antimicrobial wavelength rangeincludes at least one of ultraviolet A (UVA) light within a wavelengthrange of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB) light within a wavelength rangeof 280-315 nm or ultraviolet C (UVC) light within a wavelength range of200-280 nm.

In another example, the disclosure is directed to a touch screen displayassembly comprising a touch screen display configured for interactionwith one or more users; a housing configured to receive the touch screendisplay; an antimicrobial lighting assembly mounted within the housingand comprising one or more antimicrobial lighting segments, eachantimicrobial lighting segment including one or more antimicrobiallighting elements, wherein each antimicrobial lighting element emitslight at a wavelength, irradiance, and direction sufficient toinactivate one or more microorganisms on a target area of the touchscreen display surface, each of the one or more antimicrobial lightingsegment mounted along at least a portion of an edge of the touch screendisplay so as to emit antimicrobial light in a direction to inactivatemicroorganisms on a target area of the touch screen display surface.

The housing may comprise one of a kiosk, a touch screen display monitorhousing, or a video wall rack. Each of the one or more antimicrobiallighting elements may have a beam angle in the range of 12° to 60°. Afirst subset of the at least one or more antimicrobial lighting elementsmay have a first beam angle and a second subset of the at least one ormore antimicrobial lighting elements may have a second beam angle thatis different than the first beam angle. Each antimicrobial lightingsegments may include a stacked arrangement of antimicrobial lightingsegments, such that a first stack of antimicrobial lighting segments ismounted on the bezel of the touch screen display surface and a secondstack of antimicrobial lighting segments is mounted above the firststack of antimicrobial lighting segments.

The touch screen display assembly may further include a controller thatreceives one or more signals usable to determine status informationconcerning the touch screen display and controls the antimicrobiallighting segments based on the determined status information concerningthe touch screen display. The controller may further receive one or moresignals usable to determine presence of a user and controls the one ormore antimicrobial lighting segments based on whether or not a user ispresent. The controller may further individually control eachantimicrobial lighting segment based on the received status informationconcerning the touch screen display. The controller may furtherindividually control each antimicrobial lighting segment to provideantimicrobial illumination to one or more target areas on the touchscreen display surface based on the received status informationconcerning the touch screen display.

The controller may receive one or more signals usable to determinestatus information concerning the touch screen display and individuallycontrols the one or more antimicrobial lighting segments to provideantimicrobial illumination to one or more high touch target areas on thetouch screen display.

Each antimicrobial lighting segment may include a substrate and aplurality of light-emitting diode (LED) elements, wherein one or more ofthe LED elements emit light within a first antimicrobial wavelengthrange of about 380-420 nanometers, and one or more of the LED elementsemit light within a second antimicrobial wavelength range of about200-280 nanometers. Each antimicrobial lighting segment may include asubstrate and a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) elements,wherein one or more of the LED elements emit light within a firstantimicrobial wavelength range of about 380-420 nanometers and one ormore of the LED elements emit light within a second antimicrobialwavelength range, wherein the second antimicrobial wavelength rangeincludes at least one of ultraviolet A (UVA) light within a wavelengthrange of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB) light within a wavelength rangeof 280-315 nm or ultraviolet C (UVC) light within a wavelength range of200-280 nm.

The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features and advantages willbe apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example customer interface kioskincluding an antimicrobial light array arranged for microbialinactivation on a touch screen surface in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example antimicrobial lightingsystem including a light array and one or more individually controllableantimicrobial light segments in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of an example arrangement of anantimicrobial light source and a touch screen surface in accordance withthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship of light intensity along thetouch surface for the example antimicrobial light source arrangement ofFIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating two example antimicrobial light sourceshaving different beam angles.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of another example arrangement ofantimicrobial light sources and a touch screen surface in accordancewith the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship of light intensity along thetouch surface for the example antimicrobial light source arrangement ofFIG. 5 .

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of another example arrangement ofantimicrobial light sources and a touch screen surface in accordancewith the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the physical layout of a designed experimentusing the light arrays of FIG. 8 and showing three test locations on atest surface relative to the locations of the light arrays.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the results of two experiments performed todetermine the reduction of the pathogen S. aureus using the testapparatus shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 .

FIG. 11 shows an example touch screen display assembly having one ormore antimicrobial lighting segments extending around the perimeter oftouch screen display surface.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example touch screen displayassembly including an antimicrobial light array for microbialinactivation of touch screen display surface in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 350 by which acomputing device may individually control one or more antimicrobiallight segments to apply an antimicrobial light treatment to a touchscreen display surface in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, the disclosure is directed to systems and/or methods ofreducing microbial growth on environmental surfaces. In some examples,the environmental surfaces may include a touch screen display orcomputing device including a touch screen display, such as apoint-of-sale (POS), kiosk, multi-user or interactive video wall, anytype of customer-facing touch screen display surface, mobile device,smart phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, desktop monitor, and/orany other touch-based or interactive display. The touch screen displaysmay vary in size from the very small (e.g., the size of a mobile phonedisplay or even smaller) to the very large (e.g., a large multi-user,interactive video wall). The systems and/or methods of the presentdisclosure may help reduce the frequency at which such touch screendisplays needs to be cleaned to keep the microbial growth belowacceptable levels.

Light having wavelengths in a range of approximately 405±10 nanometers(nm) has been demonstrated to decontaminate the air and exposed surfacesby inactivating microorganisms and pathogens. The systems and methods inaccordance with the present disclosure concern the strategic applicationand control of an antimicrobial lighting system to touch screen displaysurfaces.

The antimicrobial light may include light within a first antimicrobialwavelength range of 380-420 nanometers (nm), and/or light within asecond antimicrobial wavelength range, such as ultraviolet light withina wavelength range of 200-400 nanometers (nm). In some examples, theantimicrobial light within the first wavelength range has a peakwavelength of about 405 nm. In some examples, the antimicrobial lightwithin the second wavelength range may include ultraviolet A (UVA) lightwithin a wavelength range of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB) lightwithin a wavelength range of 280-315 nm, ultraviolet C (UVC) lightwithin a wavelength range of 200-280 nm, and/or far ultraviolet C(far-UVC) light within a wavelength range of 200 to 222 nm.

Application of the antimicrobial light may improve hygiene and reducegrowth of microorganisms on one or more surfaces of a touch screendisplay surface. In some examples, the systems and/or methods maycomplement manual cleaning procedures, such as spraying and/or wipingdown, and help to maintain microbial growth below acceptable levels.

Light having wavelengths in a range of about 380-420 nm has beendemonstrated to decontaminate the air and exposed surfaces byinactivating microorganisms and pathogens. For purposes of the presentdisclosure, in some examples, the term “antimicrobial light” includeslight within a first wavelength range of about 380-420 nm. In someexamples, the antimicrobial light within the first wavelength range hasa peak wavelength of about 405 nm. The antimicrobial light hassufficient irradiance (power received by a target surface per unit area)of these wavelengths to result in inactivation of one or moremicroorganisms at the target surface within a desired period of time. Insome examples, antimicrobial light source(s) may include one or morelight source elements, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), that emitlight within the first wavelength range of about 380-420 nm. In someexamples, the antimicrobial light within the first wavelength rangeemitted by the LEDs has a peak wavelength of about 405 nm. It shall beunderstood that the particular range of wavelengths emitted by the lightsource element(s) may vary somewhat from these stated ranges, depending,for example, on the response curve for each particular light sourceelement, and the disclosure is not limited in this respect. Also, eachlight source element does not necessarily emit light across the entirewavelength range. In general, the antimicrobial light contains at leastsome of these wavelengths at a sufficient intensity to inactivate one ormore microorganisms on a target surface within a desired period of time.

In some other examples, the “antimicrobial light” may include lightwithin a second wavelength range, wherein the second wavelength rangeincludes ultraviolet light within a wavelength range of 200-400nanometers (nm). The ultraviolet light may include ultraviolet A (UVA)light within a wavelength range of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB) lightwithin a wavelength range of 280-315 nm, ultraviolet C (UVC) lightwithin a wavelength range of 200-280 nm, and/or far ultraviolet C(far-UVC) light within a wavelength range of 200 to 222 nm. Theintensity of the ultraviolet light has sufficient irradiance (powerreceived by a target surface per unit area) of these wavelengths toresult in inactivation of one or more microorganisms at the targetsurface within a desired period of time. In some examples, the lightsource elements that emit light within the second antimicrobialwavelength range include light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The light of thefirst wavelength range and the light of the second wavelength range maybe emitted by the same light source elements or by different lightsource elements.

The spectral energy of the combined antimicrobial light (that is, thelight of the first wavelength range combined with the light of thesecond wavelength range) may be designed such that the proportion ofspectral energy of light in the first wavelength range and theproportion of spectral energy within the second wavelength range isoptimized with respect to the type of microorganisms targeted, theamount of time required to sufficiently inactivate the targetedmicroorganisms, to minimize damage or other degradation of the targetsurfaces, to minimize human exposure to certain wavelengths ofantimicrobial light, and/or other factors which may influence therelative amount of the antimicrobial wavelengths to be applied. Forexample, in some applications, the combined light may be designed suchthat at least 30% of the spectral energy of the combined light is withinthe first wavelength range and at least 30% of the spectral energy ofthe combined light is within the second wavelength range.

Light elements within the second antimicrobial wavelength range caninclude light elements that emit one or more of UVA, UVB and/or UVCwavelengths, and these may be used in conjunction with or independentlyof light elements that emit light within the first antimicrobialwavelength range of 380-420 nm. The light elements of the secondantimicrobial wavelength range may be interspersed throughout the arraycan be activated in such manner that they are cycled sequentially,pulsed independent of the light elements of the first antimicrobialwavelength range, operated at different power settings, etc.

For combined light (that is, the light of the first wavelength rangecombined with the light of the second wavelength range and the light ofthe third wavelength range), the proportion of spectral energy of lightin the first wavelength range may be such that at least 30% of thespectral energy of the combined light is within the first wavelengthrange and at least 30% of the spectral energy of the combined light iswithin the second wavelength range.

In some examples, the antimicrobial light(s) may also include light ofother wavelengths, such as visible light including wavelengths fromabout 380 to 740 nm. The intensity of the visible light may besufficient for illumination when viewed by the human eye. The visiblelight and the antimicrobial light may be emitted from the same lightsource elements or from different light source elements.

An antimicrobial lighting system may include an array of one or moreindividually controllable antimicrobial light segments. Eachantimicrobial light segment may include a substrate and one or morelight emitting elements, wherein each of the light emitting elementsemits light at a wavelength and irradiance sufficient to inactivate oneor more microorganisms on a target surface. For example, anantimicrobial light segment may include an LED light strip including aflexible circuit board or strip populated with multiple surface-mountedLEDs. In other examples, an antimicrobial light segment may include agrid of LEDs printed on a circuit board, panel, or other solidsubstrate. The substrate may be rigid or flexible, depending upon theneeds of the installation. Other examples may include LED tube lights,light bars, rope lights, bulbs, individual light emitting elements, andany other flexible or inflexible light element configuration or shape.The light segments may be customized in size and shape to both fitwithin the desired spaces within or on a touch screen display surfaceand to direct light at the wavelength(s) and irradiance at one or moretarget surfaces within or on the touch screen display to achieve adesired level of microbial inactivation at those surfaces, or to reduceor prevent microbial growth at those surfaces, within a desired periodof time.

Each individual light element may be directional or omnidirectional. Inaddition, not all light elements need to have the same directionality;that is, “flood” and “spot” style light elements may be used in the samelight segments or through light segments of a lighting array. Individualcontrol of the antimicrobial light segments, or of individual or groupsof antimicrobial light source elements within each light segment, may bebased on the cycle and/or usage information regarding the touch screendisplay in which in which the antimicrobial light segments areinstalled, the room or environment in which the touch screen display isinstalled, the type(s) of microorganism(s) to be decontaminated, anamount of time expected to be available for decontamination or an amountof time within which decontamination is desired to occur, the distancebetween the light source elements and the target surfaces, the timebetween decontamination events, the amount of soil residue on the targetsurface(s) and/or other factors that may affect the type and/or amountof antimicrobial light needed to adequately decontaminate the targetsurfaces within or on the touch screen display.

In one example, an antimicrobial lighting system may include an array ofone or more individually controllable antimicrobial light segmentspositioned to provide antimicrobial illumination across a targetsurface, such as a touch screen display surface. The light array may beconnected to receive usage data regarding the touch screen display, andmay be controlled based on the received usage data. For example, amotion sensor may detect presence of a user at or near the touch screendisplay, and the light array may enable or disable one or more of theantimicrobial light segments based on the user presence information. Inanother example, the light array may enable or disable one or more ofthe antimicrobial light segments based on time of day information.

The touch screen display may comprise a single target area that includesthe entire touch screen display surface, or the touch screen displaysurface may be divided into multiple target areas or zones. Eachidentified target area on the touch screen display surface isilluminated with light of an antimicrobial wavelength at a sufficientdosage to effect microbial inactivation on identified target surfaces orzones within the touch screen display surface. The dosage may be definedas the irradiance, or the energy received by a surface per unit area(e.g., as measured in Joules per square centimeter, J·cm⁻², W·s·cm⁻²) ofthe antimicrobial wavelength(s) measured at the target surface. Theirradiance is dependent at least in part by the power applied to thelight source(s), the distance from the light source to the surface, thetotal surface area illuminated, and the time of exposure.

In some examples, it is not necessary to continuously illuminate allzones or surfaces on the touch screen display, nor is it necessary toilluminate all zones or surfaces at the same time or at the same dose.Zones can be treated automatically and selectively by the antimicrobiallight when, for example, the treatment is determined to be mosteffective, based on the received usage information or on the time of dayinformation. In other words, for example, when the usage informationindicates presence of a user, the light array may disable one or moreantimicrobial lighting segments so that the user is not exposed topotentially harmful wavelengths or so that the antimicrobial light doesnot affect the user experience of the touch screen display. When theusage information indicates that no user is present, the light array mayenable the antimicrobial lighting segments so as to achieve somemicrobial inactivation at the touch screen surface when no one is usingthe touch screen.

The antimicrobial light treatment protocol may include a high exposuresetting (full power on or highest intensity) antimicrobial cycle modethat occurs when usage of the machine is predicted to be in an unusedstate (at night, or during closing times, for example) as well as atreatment interrupt mode (power down) for power savings or to minimizeexposure risk (for example, when a touch screen display or otherequipment associated with the touch screen display is being serviced).The antimicrobial light treatment protocol may also include a reducedpower mode or modified setting in which certain antimicrobial lightsegments are selectively controlled to output a reduced intensity, butat a level that is sufficient to inactivate one or more microorganismsat the target surface(s). For example, the antimicrobial light elementscould be cycled in a “race” mode such that light elements will cyclesequentially throughout the array.

The antimicrobial lighting systems may include lighting segments and/orlighting elements that output light within one or more antimicrobialwavelength range(s). For example, some lighting segments or lightingelements may output light within a first antimicrobial wavelength rangeand some lighting segments or lighting elements may output light withina second antimicrobial wavelength range.

In another example, when the touch screen is experiencing high frequencyof use the antimicrobial lighting system may switch to a high power(high intensity or high sanitizing) mode between users. For example, ina self-service restaurant environment during high usage times, theantimicrobial light treatment may be put into a high sanitizing modebetween customers, so as to apply high intensity or highly sanitizingantimicrobial light as often as possible when the touch screen isexperiencing increased usage levels, and when the risk forcross-contamination between users is increased.

The antimicrobial lighting systems may include lighting segments and/orlighting elements that output light at antimicrobial wavelengths aloneor in combination with light of other wavelengths (e.g., one or morewavelengths of visible light). For example, some lighting segments orlighting elements may output antimicrobial light (such as light withinthe first antimicrobial wavelength range and/or light within the secondantimicrobial wavelength range) while other lighting segments orlighting elements output light within the visible spectrum. This mayhelp provide illumination within or on the touch screen display surfacethat is aesthetically pleasing to humans and/or to more closelyrepresent true colors than illumination by antimicrobial wavelengthsalone, which may appear blue to the human eye.

An antimicrobial light array may be installed and configured withrespect to the touch screen display surface such that there isoverlapping illumination from each successive lighting element at thetarget surface at which microbial inactivation is desired. This cone ofillumination illuminates a surface area dependent upon the design andphysical arrangement of the individual light elements in each lightingsegment and the distance of the element(s) from the target surface. Thedesign and installation of the light array will be such that there iscontinuous or intermittent illumination at the surface throughout thetarget surface being treated. It shall be understood that the irradiancepower at the surface being treated is dependent upon the distancebetween the emitter and the surface. The power of the antimicrobiallight is controlled such that sufficient irradiance required formicrobiological mitigation within the desired time period is achieved.It shall further be understood that the time/irradiance/distance powerrelationship required for microbiological mitigation depends upon thetarget organism(s).

LED lifetime of the antimicrobial lights can range from hundreds to inexcess of 100,000 hours of operation. Furthermore, the emitted power ofthe lamp can be modulated using a Pulse-Width-Modulation (PWM) techniqueto achieve higher irradiant power without stressing the antimicrobiallight to the extent that the light's lifetime is adversely affected whenoperated under constant power. The frequency and duty cycle applied tothe antimicrobial light segments may be modulated to achieve the desiredirradiance power at the target surface(s). PWM enables the colortemperature (spectral distribution) of the LED lamp to be maintainedwhile varying the observed lamp brightness.

In some examples, antimicrobial light segments may be fabricated from,for example, flexible LED light strips in which each LED light elementis designed to emit wavelengths in the first antimicrobial wavelengthrange of about 380-420 nm and having a peak wavelength of about 405 nmor in a second antimicrobial wavelength range of about 200-280 nm. Suchantimicrobial light segments may be configured and arranged to treat thetouch screen display surface. The antimicrobial light segments may alsobe configured and arranged to treat areas around or associated with thetouch screen display surface, such as the front panel or bezel aroundthe touch screen display surface, other user interaction surfaces such apayment or credit card swipe surfaces, touch pads, key pads, stylus,keyboards, printers, etc.

Target organisms that may be found on touch screen display surfaces, andthat may be inactivated using the antimicrobial lighting systems andmethods of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to,bacteria, yeasts, and molds, such as Bacillus species, Pseudomonasspecies, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonellaspecies, E. coli, coliforms, Legionella species, Acinetobacter species,Candida species, Saccharomyces species, Aspergillus species,Alcaligenes, Flavobacterium, and any other pathogen or microorganismthat may be encountered in such environments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example touch screen kiosk 10 including aframe or case 12, a stand 14, a touch screen display 30, and anantimicrobial light array 20 arranged for microbial inactivation oftouch screen display surface 30 in accordance with the presentdisclosure. In this example, kiosk 10 also includes a payment terminal34 having a keypad, credit/debit card swipe slot, etc. Kiosk 10 alsoincludes or is connected for electronic communication with one or morecomputing device(s) that controls the information displayed on touchscreen display 30 and that receives and analyzes touch inputs receivedat touch screen display 30. In this way, kiosk 10 may be used in manydifferent ways and in many different industries, such as allowing usersto place self-service orders at restaurants, check-in for a doctor'sappointment, check-in for a flight at the airport, park their car, andto facilitate many other tasks.

In some examples, it may be desirable to provide substantially evenlydistributed antimicrobial illumination across the entire surface area ofthe touch screen display. In other examples, it may be desirable toprovide relatively higher intensity antimicrobial illumination atcertain areas or zones within the surface area of the touch screendisplay, such as those areas or zones on the touch screen displaysurface that are more frequently touched by users, whereas other lessfrequently touched areas or zones within the surface area of the touchscreen display surface may be provided with relatively lower intensityantimicrobial illumination. It shall be understood, therefore, that thepattern of antimicrobial illumination across the surface area of thetouch screen display surface may vary depending upon the applicationand/or the environment in which the touch screen display is to be used,and that the disclosure is not limited in this respect.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example antimicrobial lightingsystem 100. Antimicrobial lighting system 100 includes a light array 120including one or more individually controllable antimicrobial lightsegments 122A-122N. Antimicrobial lighting system 100 also includes apower module 112, a timer 104 and a presence sensor 130. A Power module112 is configured to provide power to the light array 120. Timer 104provides time of day information to the power module 112. Presencesensor 130 detects presence of a user at the touch screen display. Userpresence may be associated with usage of the associated touch screendisplay. In this example system, power to the light array may becontrolled based on time of day, based on detected presence (or absence)of a user, or may be based on actual usage of the touch screen display.For example, light array 120 may be controlled based on presenceinformation received from presence sensor 130. For example, presencesensor 130, such as a motion sensor, may detect presence of a user at ornear the touch screen display, and the light array 120 may enable ordisable one or more of the antimicrobial light segments 122A-122N basedon this detected user presence information. In another example, timer104 may provide time of day information and light array 120 may enableor disable one or more of the antimicrobial light segments 122A-122Nbased on time of day information. In another example, antimicrobiallighting system 100 may receive actual touch screen usage information(e.g., one or more indications of detected touch screen usage generatedbased on receipt of touch screen inputs) from a controller associatedwith the touch screen display, and light array 120 may enable or disableone or more of the antimicrobial light segments 122A-122N based onreceipt of actual touch screen usage information.

Antimicrobial lighting system 100 may also control light array 120 suchthat the entire touch screen display surface comprises a single targetarea, or the touch screen display surface may be divided into multipletarget areas or zones. Light array 120 is controlled such that eachidentified target area on the touch screen display surface isilluminated with light of an antimicrobial wavelength at a sufficientdosage to effect microbial inactivation on identified target surfaces orzones within the touch screen display surface. The dosage may be definedas the irradiance, or the energy received by a surface per unit area(e.g., as measured in Joules per square centimeter, J·cm⁻², W·s·cm⁻²) ofthe antimicrobial wavelength(s) measured at the target surface. Theirradiance is dependent at least in part by the power applied to thelight source(s), the distance from the light source to the target areaon the touch screen display surface, the total surface area illuminated,and the time of exposure.

In some examples, it is not necessary to continuously illuminate allzones or surfaces on the touch screen display, nor is it necessary toilluminate all zones or surfaces at the same time or at the same dose.Zones can be treated automatically and selectively by the antimicrobiallight when, for example, the treatment is determined to be mosteffective, based on received user presence information, usageinformation, time of day information, or on a periodic basis. In otherwords, for example, when the user presence information or touch screenusage information indicates usage of the touch screen display, the lightarray may disable one or more antimicrobial lighting segments so thatthe user is not exposed to potentially harmful wavelengths, and/or, sothat activation of the antimicrobial light does not affect the userexperience of the touch screen display. When the user presence or usageinformation indicates that no user is present or the touch screen is notbeing used, the light array may enable one or more of the antimicrobiallighting segments so as to achieve some microbial inactivation at thetouch screen surface.

The antimicrobial light treatment protocol may include a high exposuresetting (full power on or highest intensity) antimicrobial cycle modethat occurs when usage of the machine is predicted to be in an unusedstate (at night, or during closing times, for example) as well as atreatment interrupt mode (power down) for power savings or to minimizeexposure risk (for example, when a touch screen display or otherequipment associated with the touch screen display is being used orserviced). The antimicrobial light treatment protocol may also include areduced power mode or modified setting in which certain antimicrobiallight segments are selectively controlled to output a reduced intensity,but at a level that is sufficient to inactivate one or moremicroorganisms at the target surface(s). The individual light segments122A-122B may thus be individually and selectively controlled to provideantimicrobial illumination at one or more intensity settings and atvarious times throughout the day to ensure sufficient antimicrobialinactivation at the target surfaces while ensuring a safe and pleasingexperience for the user.

Control of the settings may be determined based on the time of day. Forexample, lighting array 120 may be controlled based on time and dateinformation from timer 104 to determine whether the current timecorresponds to a heavy usage time of the touch screen display or to areduced or standby usage time of the touch screen display. In arestaurant application, for example, a heavy usage time for a touchscreen display may correspond to the hours around mealtimes, such asbreakfast, lunch, and/or dinner, while a reduced usage time maycorrespond to nighttime hours or other times when the restaurant isclosed. Light array 120 may therefore determine the time and date frominformation received from timer 104 and individually control activationof selected antimicrobial light segments 122A-122N based on the time anddate. For example, light array 120 may activate all antimicrobial lightsegments 122A-122N at a maximum setting upon determining that the timeand date correspond to a time when the touch screen display typicallyexperiences a reduced or no usage level (such as when a restaurant isclosed). Array control module 108 may activate selected antimicrobiallight segments 122A-122N at a reduced setting (e.g., a lower power oroff setting) upon determining that the time and date correspond to atime when the touch screen display typically experiences relativelyhigher usage levels and/or maximum usage levels.

In some examples, antimicrobial lighting system 100 is a standalonesystem that may be retrofitted onto an existing case or housing of atouch screen display. For example, an antimicrobial lighting system 100packaged in a rectangular frame and having dimensions corresponding totouch screen display 30 of the kiosk 10 of FIG. 1 may be retrofittedonto an existing case 12 or housing of kiosk 10 to provide antimicrobialillumination of the touch screen display surface 30. Alternatively,antimicrobial lighting system 100 may be integrated into the manufactureof the touch screen display. For example, an antimicrobial lightingsystem 100 may be integrated into the case or housing 12 of kiosk 10 toprovide antimicrobial illumination of the touch screen display surface30. In such an example, antimicrobial lighting system 100 may share oneor more electronic components with the computing device of kiosk 10,such as the controller, storage devices, power supply, etc. In this way,the control modules for selectively and individually controllingactivation/deactivation of the one or more light segments 122A-122N oflight array 120 may be stored in and executed by the kiosk controlcircuitry and/or computing device components.

It shall be understood that antimicrobial light arrays including one ormore antimicrobial light segments may be adapted for antimicrobialillumination of any touch screen display surface. For example, theantimicrobial light segments 122A-122N may be straight line segments,flexible LED light strips, curved light segments, or may be bent orcurved to fit almost any shape of touch screen display.

Each light segment 122A-122N includes one or more individualantimicrobial light sources. For example, one or more of antimicrobiallight segments 122A-122N may be implemented using a commerciallyavailable LED light strip having a peak wavelength of about 405±5 nm,such as the Single Color Outdoor Weatherproof LED Flexible Light Strip,wavelength 405 nm, Part Number WFLS-UV30, available from Super BrightLEDs Inc., of St. Louis, Mo., USA (www.superbrightleds.com).

Each antimicrobial light segment 122A-122N may be individuallycontrollable such that they may be activated and/or deactivatedindependently of one another. Each of the antimicrobial light segments122A-122N, either alone or in combination with one or more of the otherantimicrobial light segments 122A-122N, emits antimicrobial light at awavelength and irradiance sufficient to inactivate one or moremicroorganisms on the target area of the touch screen displaysurface(s). For example, one or more of antimicrobial light segments122A-122N may include one or more light source elements that emitantimicrobial light within a first wavelength range of 380-420 nm andhaving an irradiance sufficient to inactivate one or more microorganismsat the target surface(s) within a specified period of time. In someexamples, the light within the first wavelength range has a peakwavelength of about 405 nm. As another example, one or more ofantimicrobial light segments 122A-122N may include one or more lightsource elements that emit antimicrobial light within a second wavelengthrange, wherein the second wavelength range may include ultraviolet A(UVA) light within a wavelength range of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB)light within a wavelength range of 280-315 nm, ultraviolet C (UVC) lightwithin a wavelength range of 200-280 nm, and/or far ultraviolet C(far-UVC) light within a wavelength range of 200 to 222 nm and having anirradiance sufficient to inactivate one or more microorganisms at thetarget surface(s) within a specified period of time. Use of multiplecustomizable and individually controllable antimicrobial light segmentsallows for controlled distribution and illumination of antimicrobiallight to achieve microbial inactivation across the entire surface of atouch screen display surface.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of an example arrangementincluding an antimicrobial light source 20 and a touch screen surface 30in accordance with the present disclosure. In general, the light source20 is arranged to direct antimicrobial light across the target surface,in this example, the entire width of the touch screen display surface30, to mitigate microbiological activity on the surface. Light source 20is mounted in a light fixture or frame such that light source 20irradiates the entire width of the touch surface 30 with antimicrobiallight. For example, an LED with a 60° beam angle can be mounted at afixed distance, indicated by reference “B,” and elevation, indicated byreference “A,” at a specific angle, indicated by reference “C,” from thetouch surface 30 having a width of 16.75 inches in this example.However, it shall be understood that touch screen display surfaces ofany size and shape are to be considered within the spirit and scope ofthe present disclosure.

Rays 22, 24 emanating from antimicrobial light source 20 indicatesirradiance with a 60° spread. The light source in this example islocated 0.177 inches to the left (as indicated by reference “B”) and0.321 inches above the left edge of the touch surface (as indicated byreference “A”). The lamp is oriented at an angle of −31.1° relative tothe plane of the touch surface (as indicated by reference “C”). At thisangle the beam angle illuminates the entire width of the touch surface30. The placement of the light source 20 depends upon the beam angle andwidth of the surface to be treated with the antimicrobial light.

In one example, light segments including one or more light sources suchas shown in FIG. 3 may be installed along at least two sides of thetouch surface, left and right, for example. Due to the inverse-squarerelationship of light intensity decreasing with distance along the touchsurface, it may be theorized that the center-most section of the touchsurface will receive a lower antimicrobial light intensity. FIG. 4 is agraph showing the theoretical light intensity along the touch screendisplay surface 30 for such an example antimicrobial light sourcearrangement. The graph assumes two light sources, one on each side ofthe touch screen display surface (only one source 20 is shown in FIG. 3for simplicity of illustration). As shown in FIG. 4 , the theoreticalintensity of the so-called left and right light sources, indicated byreference numerals 31 and 33, respectively, is highest at the edgesnearest the light sources and drops off toward the center of the touchscreen display surface. The combined intensity, indicated by referencenumeral 35, is somewhat higher than the individual theoretical intensityof the individual light sources.

In other examples, assuming a 4-sided rectangular display shape, one ormore antimicrobial light segments may be installed on all four sides ofthe touch screen display surface or on three sides of the touch screendisplay surface. In some examples, the one or more lighting segments mayextend along at least one edge from one side to an opposite side of thetouch screen display surface. In other examples, the one or morelighting segments may extend partially along one or more edges of thetouch screen display surface.

In some examples, the intensities of the lamps should be sufficient toprovide antimicrobial efficacy in the region of lowest lamp power over apre-determined time period.

In another example, a second light source may be incorporated within thelighting fixture(s). In this example, the second light source has anarrower beam angle than the first light source, as shown in FIG. 5 .FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating two example antimicrobial light sources40 and 46 having different beam angles. A first antimicrobial lightsource 40 has a beam angle (indicated by reference numeral 42) of 60°. Asecond antimicrobial light source 46 has a beam angle (indicated byreference numeral 48) of 15°.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of another example arrangement oftwo antimicrobial light sources 20A and 20B and a touch screen displaysurface 30 in accordance with the present disclosure. The two lightsources are shown on one side in FIG. 6 for simplicity of illustration.Incorporating the second lamp where the energy is centered along thecentermost section of the touch surface could increase the antimicrobialefficacy. This design increases the energy impinging upon the centermostarea of the touch surface. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the theoreticalrelationship of light intensity along the touch screen display surface30 for the example antimicrobial light source arrangement of FIG. 6 , asindicated by reference numeral 37, compared to that of a single lightsource, as indicated by reference numeral 39. The model shows asignificant increase in the antimicrobial light impinging on thecentermost section of the touch surface, as indicated by referencenumeral 37. Further design improvements could conceivably provide anearly constant antimicrobial light power across the surface.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of another example arrangement ofantimicrobial light sources 50A-50D and a touch screen display surface60 in accordance with the present disclosure. In this example, a fixture70 includes antimicrobial light sources 50A-50D in a stacked arrangementto add lights and change the illumination angles for at least one set oflight sources. Fixture 70 includes mounting surfaces 72A-72D for each oflight sources 50A-50D, respectively. Each light source 50A-50D has acorresponding beam width indicated by reference numerals 52A-52D,respectively. The angle of the mounting surfaces 72A-72D and the beamwidths 52A-52D may be adjusted such that substantially evenantimicrobial illumination across the entire width of the touch screendisplay surface 60.

EXAMPLES

A surrogate touch surface was prepared from a sheet of acrylic plasticmeasuring 17-inches wide. Stacked antimicrobial light fixtures wereaffixed to the surface as shown in FIG. 8 . The lights were SuperbrightLEDs model WFLS-X3. The operating voltage of these LEDs is 9-14.8 VDC;however, in the experiment the LEDs were driven at 24 VDC viapulse-width-modulation (PWM) at a frequency of 660 Hz and a 20% dutycycle. This was done to increase the kill efficacy by increasing theenergy emitted by the lamps.

The physical layout of the test surface is shown in FIG. 9 , whichillustrates the three test locations (close, mid, and far) relative tothe light bars which were located at columns 1 and 17.

The sample surface was inoculated with the test organism followingstandard laboratory practices:

-   -   Each section was inoculated with 20 μl of culture and spread to        within ⅛″ of the edge of the section.    -   The acrylic panel was placed into an incubator (35 C) for        drying. The panel will be in the chamber for 20-40 minutes or        until visibly dry.    -   The panel was set up in the test location and the lights turned        on.    -   Sections was swabbed after appropriate intervals such as 4, 6        and 24 h.    -   10 ml of Letheen broth will be added to a 3M speci-sponge in its        collection bag to allow for the sponge to be moistened.    -   A section of the panel was sampled by moving the sponge        horizontally three times followed by three vertical movements.    -   The sponge was then placed back into any remaining Letheen broth        in the bag and stomached for 30 s. Liquid was squeezed from the        sponge and processed.    -   Appropriate ten-fold dilutions were prepared from the collected        samples using PBDW. A single 0.1 mL aliquot of the dilution was        spread plated using Tryptic Soy Agar.    -   A control section of the acrylic panel was concurrently        processed following the same procedure without exposure to the        light source.    -   The test was conducted in triplicate for each organism at each        time point.

Two separate tests were performed with the apparatus:

-   -   R2. Single light fixture on each side of the test surface        powered at 12VDC.    -   R4. Stacked light fixtures on each side of the test surface        powered via PWM at 24VDC.

The results of the test for S. aureus are shown in the chart of FIG. 10. The test results for test R2 show minimal microbial reduction on thetest surface over the 29 hour period. Test R4, with the increased lampnumber and power, shows improved microbial kill at all locations. It isrecognized that higher energy is required to increase microbiologicalreduction, especially at the location furthest from the lamps.

FIG. 11 shows an example touch screen display assembly 152 having one ormore antimicrobial lighting segments, in this example segments158A-158D, extending around the perimeter of touch screen displaysurface 150. In this example, the content displayed on touch screendisplay 150 includes an instruction or informational presentation areaindicated generally by reference numeral 156 and a high touch areaindicated generally by reference numeral 160. High touch area 160includes one or more icons 164 with which a user may interact via touchinputs. In this example, a user may make menu selections using the touchicons 164; thus, area 160 around the icons 164 may be considered a “hightouch area” in that it is a portion of the display surface 150 that ismore likely to be frequently touched by users than, for example, theinstruction or informational presentation area 156. In some examples,antimicrobial lighting segments 158A-158D may be controlled such thatthey illuminate the high touch target area 160 on touch screen display150 with a higher intensity antimicrobial light, and/or with differentwavelengths of antimicrobial light, as compared to relatively lower orless frequently touched areas on display 150, such as informationalpresentation area 156. In another examples, antimicrobial lightingsegments 158A-158D may be controlled such that they illuminate the hightouch target area 160 on touch screen display 150 more frequently withantimicrobial light as compared to relatively lower or less frequentlytouched areas on display 150, such as informational presentation area156. For these examples, antimicrobial light segments 162A and 162B maybe individually controlled to provide such higher intensity and/or morefrequent antimicrobial illumination to high touch target area 160. Itshall be understood that although FIG. 11 shows a single high touch area160, that the location and number of high touch areas on a display mayvary depending upon the environment in which the display assembly is tobe used and/or upon the content to be presented on the touch screendisplay surface, and that the disclosure is not limited in this respect.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example touch screen display assembly100 including an antimicrobial light array 120 for microbialinactivation of a touch screen display surface 104 in accordance withthe present disclosure. Example touch screen display assembly 100includes a touch screen display 104, antimicrobial light array 120having one or more antimicrobial light segments 122A-122N, a presencesensor 110, and a display assembly controller 106. Display assemblycontroller 106 includes one or more processors 102, and storage devicesincluding a touch screen display control module 112, an antimicrobiallight array control module 108, and data storage 114. In this example,antimicrobial light array 120 is integrated into the touch screendisplay assembly 100, rather than being retrofittable to an existingtouch screen display. Thus, in this example, processor(s) 102 includethe touch screen display control software module(s) 112 that controlsthe functionality of the touch screen display 104 and also includes theantimicrobial light array software control modules 108 that controlsfunctionality of antimicrobial light array 120.

In some examples, it may be desirable to provide substantially evenlydistributed antimicrobial illumination across the entire surface area ofthe touch screen display 204. In such an example, the entire surfacearea of the touch screen display may be considered the target area. Inother examples, it may be desirable to provide relatively higherintensity antimicrobial illumination and/or different wavelengths ofantimicrobial light at certain areas or zones within the surface area ofthe touch screen display, such as those areas or zones on the touchscreen display surface that are more frequently touched by users, suchas one or more high touch areas 160 as shown in FIG. 11 . Other lessfrequently touched areas or zones within the surface area of the touchscreen display surface, such as the instruction area of the display orother areas that are less frequently touched by users, may be providedwith relatively lower intensity antimicrobial illumination. It shall beunderstood, therefore, that the pattern of antimicrobial illuminationacross the surface area of the touch screen display surface 204 may varydepending upon the application and/or the environment in which the touchscreen display assembly 200 is to be used, and that the disclosure isnot limited in this respect.

In order to provide varying intensities of antimicrobial illumination atdifferent target areas of a touch screen display 204, the one or moreantimicrobial lighting segments 222A-222N in antimicrobial lightingarray 220 may be individually controllable. For example, to providerelatively higher intensity antimicrobial lighting to one or more hightouch areas of display 204, lighting segments 222A-222N may beindividually controlled to provide such higher intensity antimicrobiallighting to the high touch area(s) at one or more predetermined times orupon detection of one or more events.

One such event may include detection of presence of a user near thetouch screen display 204. Presence sensor 206 may include one or more ofa device that detects the distance, presence, or absence of an object ora user near the touch screen display 204 and/or the touch screen displayassembly 200. In one example, the antimicrobial light segments 222A-22Nmay be controlled to provide high intensity antimicrobial light to thetouch screen display surface 204 during periods of high use. In anotherexample, the antimicrobial light segments 222A-22N may be controlled toprovide high intensity antimicrobial light to the touch screen displaysurface 204 in between users.

Touch screen display control module 208 includes computer readableinstructions configured to be executed on the one or more processors 202to enable controller 210 to control functionality of touch screendisplay 204. For example, array control module 212 may enable controller210 to receive touch inputs from touch screen display 204, determinewhat information to present on touch screen display 204, present aninteractive display experience to a user on touch screen display 204,etc.

Antimicrobial light array control module 212 includes computer readableinstructions configured to be executed on the one or more processors 202to enable controller 210 to control activation of antimicrobial lightsegments 222A-222N of light array 220. For example, array control module212 may enable controller 210 to individually control activation ofantimicrobial light segments 222A-222N based on the status informationsignals received from presence sensor 206. Processor(s) may analyze thereceived status information signal to determine distance, presence, orabsence of a user with respect to the touch screen display assembly 210and/or the touch screen display 204. For example, one or more of theantimicrobial light segments 222A-222N may be activated to emitantimicrobial light at a first, high setting (that is, highestintensity) at certain times of day or during certain identified periodsof use of touch screen display 204 and/or touch screen display assembly200. As another example, one or more of the antimicrobial light segments222A-222N may be activated to emit antimicrobial light at a second, lowsetting (that is, relatively lower intensity than the high setting)during certain times of day or during certain identified periods of useof touch screen display 204 and/or touch screen display assembly 200. Asanother example, one or more of the antimicrobial light segments222A-222N may be deactivated so as not to emit antimicrobial light, orbe placed in an “off” setting at certain identified times or duringcertain identified periods of use of touch screen display 204 and/ortouch screen display assembly 200. Thus, it shall be understood thatantimicrobial light array control module may be programmed to controlantimicrobial light array and antimicrobial light array segments in avery flexible manner so as to be customized to the particularenvironment in which the touch screen display assembly is to be used.

In other examples, the antimicrobial light segments 222A-222N may becontrolled by array control module 212 such that one or more of theantimicrobial light segments 222A-222N operate at a high setting, one ormore of the antimicrobial light segments 222A-222N operate a lowersetting (relatively lower than the high setting), and one or more of theantimicrobial light segments 222A-222N are deactivated or turned off. Itshall be understood, therefore, that each of the antimicrobial lightsegments 222A-222N may be individually controlled by array controlmodule 212 to individually active/deactivate and/or adjust the powerand/or intensity of the antimicrobial light output by each antimicrobiallight segment 222A-222N, and thus to adjust the irradiance of theantimicrobial light received at the target surface(s).

In other examples, the antimicrobial light segments 222A-222N may becontrolled by array control module 212 such that one or more of theantimicrobial light segments 222A-222N emit light within a firstantimicrobial wavelength range, one or more of the antimicrobial lightsegments 122A-122N emit light within a second antimicrobial wavelengthrange, and/or one or more of the antimicrobial light segments 122A-122Nare deactivated or turned off. It shall be understood, therefore, thateach of the antimicrobial light segments 222A-222N may be individuallycontrolled by array control module 212 to individually control thewavelength of the antimicrobial light output by antimicrobial lightarray 220, and thus to adjust the wavelength(s) of antimicrobial lightreceived at the target surface(s).

Antimicrobial light array 220 may be controlled in response to inputsfrom a user. For example, through touch screen display 204, anauthorized user may input the desired settings (e.g., high, modified,off, etc.) for some or all of the antimicrobial light segments222A-222N. These inputs, received through touch screen display module208, may cause processor to update internal settings or operationalparameters for the antimicrobial light array 220.

Processor(s) 202 may control antimicrobial light array 220 based onsignals received from touch screen display module 208. For example,array control module 212 may analyze the signals received form the touchscreen display module 212 to individually control activation of selectedantimicrobial light segments 222A-222N at the appropriate setting(s)based on whether or not the touch screen display in currently in use orthe amount of time in between users of the touch screen display. Forexample, a relatively shorter amount of time between users of the touchscreen display may be indicative of the relative “busy-ness” of therestaurant or other environment in which the touch screen display inbeing used, as there will be a smaller amount of down or idle timebetween users when a restaurant is busy as compared to when therestaurant is not as busy.

As another example, processor(s) 202 may control antimicrobial lightingsystem 100 may be controlled based on the time and/or date. For example,array control module 108 may determine the date and time to determinewhether the current time corresponds to a heavy usage time of the touchscreen display assembly 200 or to a reduced or standby usage time. Forexample, it may be desirable to operate the antimicrobial light segments222A-222N on a high setting at night or other time(s) when therestaurant is closed, for example.

Antimicrobial lighting system 100 may be manually controlled by a user,such as through user interface 104 or one or more of computing device(s)140. For example, housekeeping or other authorized staff may manuallyactivate and/or control antimicrobial lighting array 220 during routinecleaning procedures. As another example, a service technician orcustodian may manually activate and/or control antimicrobial lightingarray 220 during a service call. As another example, touch screendisplay assembly may be configured for wired or wireless communicationwith one or more remote or local computing device(s) 300. In suchexamples, housekeeping, front desk staff, service technician or otherauthorized user may manually activate antimicrobial lighting systemremotely via one or more remote or local computing device(s) 300. Inaddition, information concerning operation of the antimicrobial lightarray and the touch screen display 204 may be sent to one or more of theremote or local computing device(s) 300. This information may include arecord of the dates, times, settings, and duration of each antimicrobiallighting treatment applied to the touch screen display surface(s),status information concerning the relative lifetime of the antimicrobiallighting segments or individual lighting elements in the antimicrobiallight array 220, and/or any other information that may be relevant formonitoring and/or managing antimicrobial light treatments of theindividual touch screen display surface 204 or of a plurality of similartouch screen display surfaces disposed at the location or at multiplelocations associated with a corporate entity.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 300 by which acomputing device (such as display assembly controller 210 of FIG. 12 )may individually control one or more antimicrobial light segments (suchas antimicrobial light segments 222A-222N) in accordance with thepresent disclosure. In the example of FIG. 13 , a computing device (suchas display assembly controller 210) receives touch screen display statusinformation (352). For example, the touch screen display statusinformation may be received from a presence sensor 206, touch screendisplay module 208, an internal timer, etc. The status information mayinclude information concerning user presence or non-presence near thetouch screen display, the time of day, whether the touch screen displayis in currently in use, the relative “busy-ness” of the touch screendisplay, or other relevant status information concerning the touchscreen display.

The computing device analyzes the status information to determine how toindividually control each of the antimicrobial light segments (304). Forexample, the computing device may activate one or more light segmentsthat emit light within a first antimicrobial wavelength range, activateone or more light segments that emit light within a second antimicrobialwavelength range, and/or activate one or more light segments that emitlight within the visible spectrum (306). As another example, thecomputing device may determine that some or all of the antimicrobiallight segments should be activated at a high or maximum setting; thecomputing device may determine that some or all of the antimicrobiallight segments should be activated at a modified or reduce setting(s);and/or the computing device may determine that some or all of the lightsegments should be deactivated (308).

Additional Examples

Example 1: A lighting array comprising a fixture, and one or moreantimicrobial lighting segments mounted on the lighting fixture, eachantimicrobial lighting segment including one or more elements, whereineach element emits light at a wavelength, irradiance, and directionsufficient to inactivate one or more microorganisms on a target area ofa touch screen display surface.

Example 2: The system of Example 1 wherein the lighting array controlseach antimicrobial light segment is controlled based on touch screendisplay surface usage information.

Example 3: The system of Example 1 wherein the lighting arraydeactivates at least some of the antimicrobial lighting segments whenthe touch screen display surface usage information is indicative ofpresence of a user.

Example 4: The system of Example 1 wherein each of the one or moreantimicrobial lighting segments are individually controllable by thelighting array such that each lighting segment may be activated at afirst, high setting, a second, modified setting, or a third, deactivatedsetting independently of the other one or more antimicrobial lightingsegments.

Example 5: The system of Example 1 wherein the system further comprisesa presence sensor that detects presence of a user near the touch screendisplay surface.

Example 6: The system of Example 1 wherein the lighting array furthercontrols the one or more antimicrobial lighting segments based on thetime of day.

Example 7: The system of Example 1 wherein the touch screen displaysurface includes a plurality of target zones, and wherein the one ormore antimicrobial lighting segments are individually controllable todirect light at the wavelength and irradiance sufficient to inactivateone or more microorganisms within one or more of the target zones.

Example 8: The lighting system of Example 1 wherein each antimicrobiallighting segment includes a substrate and a plurality of light-emittingdiode (LED) elements, and wherein each LED element emits light includingwavelengths in a range of about 405±15 nanometers.

Example 9: The lighting system of Example 1 wherein the lighting arrayfurther includes one or more lighting elements that emit light having awavelength range in the visible spectrum.

Example 10: The lighting system of Example 1, wherein each antimicrobiallighting segment includes a substrate and a plurality of light-emittingdiode (LED) elements, wherein one or more of the LED elements emit lightwithin a first antimicrobial wavelength range of about 380-420nanometers, and one or more of the LED elements emit light within asecond antimicrobial wavelength range of about 200-280 nanometers.

Example 11: The lighting system of Example 1, wherein each antimicrobiallighting segment includes a substrate and a plurality of light-emittingdiode (LED) elements, wherein one or more of the LED elements emit lightwithin a first antimicrobial wavelength range of about 380-420nanometers and one or more of the LED elements emit light within asecond antimicrobial wavelength range, wherein the second antimicrobialwavelength range includes at least one of ultraviolet A (UVA) lightwithin a wavelength range of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB) lightwithin a wavelength range of 280-315 nm or ultraviolet C (UVC) lightwithin a wavelength range of 200-280 nm.

Example 12: The lighting system of Example 1 wherein the one or moremicroorganisms include at least one of Listeria monocytogenes,enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcusaureus.

Example 13: An antimicrobial lighting assembly comprising a frameassembly configured for mounting around at least a portion of theperimeter of a touch screen display surface; and one or moreantimicrobial lighting segments mounted on the frame assembly, eachantimicrobial lighting segment including one or more antimicrobiallighting elements, wherein each antimicrobial lighting element emitslight at a wavelength, irradiance, and direction sufficient toinactivate one or more microorganisms on a target area of the touchscreen display surface.

Example 14: The antimicrobial lighting assembly of Example 11 whereinthe frame assembly is mounted around the entire perimeter of the touchscreen display surface.

Example 15: The antimicrobial lighting assembly of Example 11 furthercomprising a sensor that detects presence of a user near the touchscreen display, and wherein power to the antimicrobial lighting segmentsis deactivated upon detection of presence of the user.

Example 16: The antimicrobial lighting assembly of Example 15 wherein,subsequent to detection of presence of a user near the touch screendisplay, the sensor detects that the user is no longer present near thetouch screen display, and wherein power to the antimicrobial lightingsegments is activated.

Example 17: The antimicrobial lighting assembly of Example 13 whereinthe frame assembly is configured to mount on a bezel of the touch screendisplay.

Example 18: The antimicrobial lighting assembly of Example 13 whereinthe frame assembly is configured for retrofittable mounting around theperimeter of a touch screen display surface.

Example 19: The antimicrobial lighting assembly of Example 13, whereineach antimicrobial lighting segment includes a substrate and a pluralityof light-emitting diode (LED) elements, wherein one or more of the LEDelements emit light within a first antimicrobial wavelength range ofabout 380-420 nanometers, and one or more of the LED elements emit lightwithin a second antimicrobial wavelength range of about 200-280nanometers.

Example 20: The antimicrobial lighting assembly of Example 13, whereineach antimicrobial lighting segment includes a substrate and a pluralityof light-emitting diode (LED) elements, wherein one or more of the LEDelements emit light within a first antimicrobial wavelength range ofabout 380-420 nanometers and one or more of the LED elements emit lightwithin a second antimicrobial wavelength range, wherein the secondantimicrobial wavelength range includes at least one of ultraviolet A(UVA) light within a wavelength range of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB)light within a wavelength range of 280-315 nm or ultraviolet C (UVC)light within a wavelength range of 200-280 nm.

Example 17: A touch screen display assembly comprising a touch screendisplay configured for interaction with one or more users; a housingconfigured to receive the touch screen display; an antimicrobiallighting assembly mounted within the housing and comprising one or moreantimicrobial lighting segments, each antimicrobial lighting segmentincluding one or more antimicrobial lighting elements, wherein eachantimicrobial lighting element emits light at a wavelength, irradiance,and direction sufficient to inactivate one or more microorganisms on atarget area of the touch screen display surface, each of the one or moreantimicrobial lighting segment mounted along at least a portion of anedge of the touch screen display so as to emit antimicrobial light in adirection to inactivate microorganisms on a target area of the touchscreen display surface.

Example 18: The touch screen display assembly of Example 17 wherein thehousing comprises one of a kiosk, a touch screen display monitorhousing, or a video wall rack.

Example 19: The touch screen display assembly of Example 17 wherein eachof the one or more antimicrobial lighting elements has a beam angle inthe range of 12° to 60°.

Example 20: The touch screen display assembly of Example 17 wherein afirst subset of the at least one or more antimicrobial lighting elementshave a first beam angle and a second subset of the at least one or moreantimicrobial lighting elements have a second beam angle that isdifferent than the first beam angle.

Example 21: The touch screen display assembly of Example 17 wherein eachantimicrobial lighting segments includes a stacked arrangement ofantimicrobial lighting segments, such that a first stack ofantimicrobial lighting segments is mounted on the bezel of the touchscreen display surface and a second stack of antimicrobial lightingsegments is mounted above the first stack of antimicrobial lightingsegments.

Example 22: The touch screen display assembly of Example 17 furthercomprising a controller that receives one or more signals usable todetermine status information concerning the touch screen display andcontrols the antimicrobial lighting segments based on the determinedstatus information concerning the touch screen display.

Example 23: The touch screen display assembly of Example 22 where thecontroller further receives one or more signals usable to determinepresence of a user and controls the one or more antimicrobial lightingsegments based on whether or not a user is present.

Example 24: The touch screen display assembly of Example 22 where thecontroller further individually controls each antimicrobial lightingsegment based on the received status information concerning the touchscreen display.

Example 25: The touch screen display assembly of Example 22 where thecontroller further individually controls each antimicrobial lightingsegment to provide antimicrobial illumination to one or more targetareas on the touch screen display surface based on the received statusinformation concerning the touch screen display.

Example 26: The touch screen display assembly of Example 17 furthercomprising a controller that receives one or more signals usable todetermine status information concerning the touch screen display andindividually controls the one or more antimicrobial lighting segments toprovide antimicrobial illumination to one or more high touch targetareas on the touch screen display.

Example 27: The touch screen display assembly of Example 17, whereineach antimicrobial lighting segment includes a substrate and a pluralityof light-emitting diode (LED) elements, wherein one or more of the LEDelements emit light within a first antimicrobial wavelength range ofabout 380-420 nanometers, and one or more of the LED elements emit lightwithin a second antimicrobial wavelength range of about 200-280nanometers.

Example 28: The touch screen display assembly of Example 17, whereineach antimicrobial lighting segment includes a substrate and a pluralityof light-emitting diode (LED) elements, wherein one or more of the LEDelements emit light within a first antimicrobial wavelength range ofabout 380-420 nanometers and one or more of the LED elements emit lightwithin a second antimicrobial wavelength range, wherein the secondantimicrobial wavelength range includes at least one of ultraviolet A(UVA) light within a wavelength range of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB)light within a wavelength range of 280-315 nm or ultraviolet C (UVC)light within a wavelength range of 200-280 nm.

Various examples have been described. These and other examples arewithin the scope of the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A lighting assembly comprising: a fixture;one or more antimicrobial lighting segments mounted on the fixture, eachof the antimicrobial lighting segments including one or more elements,wherein each of the elements emits light at a wavelength, irradiance,and direction sufficient to inactivate one or more microorganisms on atarget area of a touch screen display surface, wherein the target areaincludes at least one high touch target area and at least one lowertouch target area, and wherein the one or more antimicrobial lightingelements includes a first stack of antimicrobial lighting elementsmounted on the fixture and a second stack of antimicrobial lightingelements mounted above the first stack of antimicrobial lightingelements; and a controller configured to individually control the one ormore antimicrobial lighting segments to provide at least one ofrelatively higher intensity antimicrobial illumination or more frequentantimicrobial illumination to the at least one high touch target area ascompared to the lower touch target area.
 2. The lighting assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the controller controls each of the antimicrobiallighting segments based on touch screen display surface usageinformation.
 3. The lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein each of theone or more antimicrobial lighting segments is individually controllableby the controller such that each of the antimicrobial lighting segmentsmay be activated at a first, highest setting, a second, modifiedsetting, or a third, deactivated setting independently of each other oneof the antimicrobial lighting segments.
 4. The lighting assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the lighting assembly further comprises a presencesensor that detects presence of a user near the touch screen displaysurface.
 5. The lighting assembly of claim 4, wherein the controllerdeactivates at least some of the antimicrobial lighting segments basedon detection of presence of the user near the touch screen displaysurface.
 6. The lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the controllercontrols the one or more antimicrobial lighting segments based on timeof day.
 7. The lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the target areaincludes a plurality of target zones, and wherein the one or moreantimicrobial lighting segments are individually controllable to directlight at the wavelength and irradiance sufficient to inactivate the oneor more microorganisms within one or more of the target zones.
 8. Thelighting assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the antimicrobial lightingsegments includes a substrate and a plurality of light-emitting diode(LED) elements, and wherein each of the LED elements emits lightincluding wavelengths in a range of about 405±15 nanometers.
 9. Thelighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the lighting assembly furtherincludes one or more lighting elements that emit light having awavelength range in a visible spectrum.
 10. The lighting assembly ofclaim 1, wherein each of the antimicrobial lighting segments includes asubstrate and a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) elements,wherein one or more of the LED elements emit light within a firstantimicrobial wavelength range of about 380-420 nanometers, and one ormore of the LED elements emit light within a second antimicrobialwavelength range of about 200-280 nanometers.
 11. The lighting assemblyof claim 1, wherein each of the antimicrobial lighting segments includesa substrate and a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) elements,wherein one or more of the LED elements emit light within a firstantimicrobial wavelength range of about 380-420 nanometers and one ormore of the LED elements emit light within a second antimicrobialwavelength range, wherein the second antimicrobial wavelength rangeincludes at least one of ultraviolet A (UVA) light within a wavelengthrange of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB) light within a wavelength rangeof 280-315 nm or ultraviolet C (UVC) light within a wavelength range of200-280 nm.
 12. The lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein the one ormore microorganisms include at least one of Listeria monocytogenes,enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcusaureus.
 13. An antimicrobial lighting assembly comprising: a frameassembly configured for mounting around at least a portion of aperimeter of a touch screen display surface; one or more antimicrobiallighting segments mounted on the frame assembly, each of theantimicrobial lighting segments including one or more antimicrobiallighting elements, wherein each of the antimicrobial lighting elementsemits light at a wavelength, irradiance, and direction sufficient toinactivate one or more microorganisms on a target area of the touchscreen display surface, wherein the target area includes at least onehigh touch target area and at least one lower touch target area, andwherein the one or more antimicrobial lighting elements includes a firststack of antimicrobial lighting elements mounted on the frame assemblyand a second stack of antimicrobial lighting elements mounted above thefirst stack of antimicrobial lighting elements; and a controllerconfigured to individually control the one or more antimicrobiallighting segments to provide at least one of relatively higher intensityantimicrobial illumination or more frequent antimicrobial illuminationto the at least one high touch target area as compared to the lowertouch target area.
 14. The antimicrobial lighting assembly of claim 13,wherein the frame assembly is configured for mounting around the entireperimeter of the touch screen display surface.
 15. The antimicrobiallighting assembly of claim 13, further comprising a sensor that detectspresence of a user near the touch screen display surface, and acontroller that deactivates the antimicrobial lighting segments upondetection of presence of the user.
 16. The antimicrobial lightingassembly of claim 15, wherein, subsequent to detection of presence ofthe user near the touch screen display surface, in response to detectionthat the user is no longer present near the touch screen displaysurface, the controller activates the antimicrobial lighting segments.17. The antimicrobial lighting assembly of claim 13, wherein the frameassembly is configured to mount on a bezel of the touch screen displaysurface.
 18. The antimicrobial lighting assembly of claim 13, whereinthe frame assembly is configured for retrofittable mounting around theperimeter of the touch screen display surface.
 19. The antimicrobiallighting assembly of claim 13, wherein each of the antimicrobiallighting segments includes a substrate and a plurality of light-emittingdiode (LED) elements, wherein one or more of the LED elements emit lightwithin a first antimicrobial wavelength range of about 380-420nanometers, and one or more of the LED elements emit light within asecond antimicrobial wavelength range of about 200-280 nanometers. 20.The antimicrobial lighting assembly of claim 13, wherein each of theantimicrobial lighting segments includes a substrate and a plurality oflight-emitting diode (LED) elements, wherein one or more of the LEDelements emit light within a first antimicrobial wavelength range ofabout 380-420 nanometers and one or more of the LED elements emit lightwithin a second antimicrobial wavelength range, wherein the secondantimicrobial wavelength range includes at least one of ultraviolet A(UVA) light within a wavelength range of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB)light within a wavelength range of 280-315 nm or ultraviolet C (UVC)light within a wavelength range of 200-280 nm.
 21. A touch screendisplay assembly comprising: a touch screen display configured forinteraction with one or more users; a housing configured to receive thetouch screen display; an antimicrobial lighting assembly mounted withinthe housing and comprising one or more antimicrobial lighting segments,each of the antimicrobial lighting segments including one or moreantimicrobial lighting elements, wherein each of the antimicrobiallighting elements emits light at a wavelength, irradiance, and directionsufficient to inactivate one or more microorganisms on a target area ofa surface of the touch screen display, wherein the one or moreantimicrobial lighting elements includes a first stack of antimicrobiallighting elements mounted within the housing and a second stack ofantimicrobial lighting elements mounted above the first stack ofantimicrobial lighting elements, each of the one or more antimicrobiallighting segments mounted along at least a portion of an edge of thetouch screen display so as to emit antimicrobial light in a direction toinactivate microorganisms on the target area of the surface of the touchscreen display, wherein the target area includes at least one high touchtarget area and at least one lower touch target area; and a controllerconfigured to individually control the one or more antimicrobiallighting segments to provide at least one of relatively higher intensityantimicrobial illumination or more frequent antimicrobial illuminationto the at least one high touch target area as compared to the lowertouch target area.
 22. The touch screen display assembly of claim 21,wherein the housing comprises one of a kiosk, a touch screen displaymonitor housing, or a video wall rack.
 23. The touch screen displayassembly of claim 21, wherein each of the one or more antimicrobiallighting elements has a beam angle in the range of 12° to 60°.
 24. Thetouch screen display assembly of claim 21, wherein a first subset of theone or more antimicrobial lighting elements have a first beam angle anda second subset of the one or more antimicrobial lighting elements havea second beam angle that is different than the first beam angle.
 25. Thetouch screen display assembly of claim 21, wherein the one or moreantimicrobial lighting segments comprises a first stack of antimicrobiallighting segments mounted on the bezel of the surface of the touchscreen display and a second stack of antimicrobial lighting segmentsmounted above the first stack of antimicrobial lighting segments. 26.The touch screen display assembly of claim 21, wherein the controller isconfigured to receive one or more signals usable to determine statusinformation concerning the touch screen display and to control theantimicrobial lighting segments based on the determined statusinformation concerning the touch screen display.
 27. The touch screendisplay assembly of claim 26, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to receive one or more signals usable to determine presenceof a user and to control the one or more antimicrobial lighting segmentsbased on whether or not the user is present.
 28. The touch screendisplay assembly of claim 26, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to individually control each of the antimicrobial lightingsegments based on the status information concerning the touch screendisplay.
 29. The touch screen display assembly of claim 26, wherein thetarget area includes one or more target areas, wherein the controllerfurther individually controls each of the antimicrobial lightingsegments to provide antimicrobial illumination to the one or more targetareas on the surface of the touch screen display based on the statusinformation concerning the touch screen display.
 30. The touch screendisplay assembly of claim 21, wherein the controller is configured toreceive one or more signals usable to determine status informationconcerning the touch screen display and to individually control the oneor more antimicrobial lighting segments to provide antimicrobialillumination to the at least one high touch target area of the touchscreen display.
 31. The touch screen display assembly of claim 21,wherein each of the antimicrobial lighting segments includes a substrateand a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) elements, wherein one ormore of the LED elements emit light within a first antimicrobialwavelength range of about 380-420 nanometers, and one or more of the LEDelements emit light within a second antimicrobial wavelength range ofabout 200-280 nanometers.
 32. The touch screen display assembly of claim21, wherein each of the antimicrobial lighting segments includes asubstrate and a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) elements,wherein one or more of the LED elements emit light within a firstantimicrobial wavelength range of about 380-420 nanometers and one ormore of the LED elements emit light within a second antimicrobialwavelength range, wherein the second antimicrobial wavelength rangeincludes at least one of ultraviolet A (UVA) light within a wavelengthrange of 315-400 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB) light within a wavelength rangeof 280-315 nm or ultraviolet C (UVC) light within a wavelength range of200-280 nm.